We’re hanging out with the cool kids — 10 Utah Valley powerhouses who are too hip to be square.
Chris Bennett
Age: 33
Company 97th Floor, Lehi
Be floored. Chris Bennett has been doing organic SEO since before Google was a household name. Link building, infographics, social promotion, reputation management — for the past 10 years, Bennett has been defining an industry with his company 97th Floor. They work with the big names in town — Vivint, Mozy, RioTinto, O.C. Tanner — and they have more than 100 companies a month wanting to do business with them. Bennett regularly speaks at social conferences in London, New York and San Francisco, and it’s speeches like his that inspired Google’s Tom Critchlow to tweet, “Totally awesome presentation from @chrisbennett #linklove - turns out 97thfloor is behind the entire internet.” Looking for cool? The search is over.
COOLEST Entrepreneurial Moment
Hiring full-time employees was one of my scariest moments, but it is also the coolest to realize 97th Floor supports lives and families. MC Hammer following me on Twitter is a close second.
COOLEST Company Moment
Getting my first “big” client that paid enough for me to quit my job and focus on 97th Floor full time.
COOLEST Mistake
I lost just about everything in real estate in 2003/2004. I had a huge amount of debt and was buying food and diapers for newborn twins on credit cards. I had $18 to my name at one point. Why is it the coolest? Because I said to myself this is for me to fix and I will NEVER be here again. I would come home from my 9-to-5 and work on 97th Floor until 3 a.m. It took us a year to dig out, and we’ve never looked back.
COOLEST Risk
I told my first prospective Fortune 100 company to give me six weeks without pay to move the needle for them online. It took me eight days to impress them, and they’ve been a client for more than seven years.
COOLEST Life Adventure
Surfing 900 meter long (crocodile infested) waves in Costa Rica.
COOLEST Meal Ever Eaten
Escargot in France, because I thought I would hate it and I loved it.
COOLEST Quirk
My family says I scratch my eyes like a squirrel.
COOLEST Ritual
I eat around 7,000 calories on Sunday.
COOLEST Compliment
Hearing from employees that they look forward to coming to work every day.
Glad to see John on this list – he definitely is one of the coolest!
So proud of our daughter and her spunk. She was like that when she was little and has continued to have it as an adult. It has taken her far. Congratulations Susan we love you.